The Cat Position

Are you uncomfortable yet?

“Now assume the cat position. Go down on all fours and then arch your back up like a cat getting electrocuted.”

I’m glad he’s demonstrating, because at my age I keep forgetting what a cat looks like when it’s getting electrocuted.

He arches his back into the air just like an electrocuted cat and I follow suit. Then he starts bending back slowly keeping his front hands planted squarely in front of him while the rest of his body travels in the opposite direction. Me? I try to do the same, but generally my body only goes in one direction at a time, and is soon feeling like its being stretched over a medieval torture rack. Sinews, ligaments, tendons, and the kitchen sink are all crying out to me to stop this “stretching technique.” But like the electrocuted cat, I’m not really thinking much right now. I’m just arching.

I miss the benign “How did that make you feel,” which is replaced by an almost menacing, “How does that feel now, champ?

Why do they call this physical “therapy”? Therapy is best done while lying on a comfortable couch blaming all your problems on other people. But physical therapy is different; it’s not over until you are hurting. I miss the benign “How did that make you feel,” which is replaced by an almost menacing, “How does that feel now, champ?” And if your answer is anything less than a whimper, they keep on stretching you out.

I soon find myself on my back with one leg extended upward but slowly being bent back into itself in the strong capable hands of my therapist. The pain is extreme, with just a few movements of reprieve when I switch from contracting to relaxing, only to be followed by a few more inches of “progress.” When I begin tasting shoe, I tap out. I think I’m limber enough. I can’t say for sure because I can’t get up, but the world does feel distinctly limber from my perch on the therapy table…

But I did come away with a gem from my physical therapist, one of the nicest people I know (he has to be in order to get away with giving people such intense pain) and a super talent in his field. As we were twisting and manipulating various limbs on the floor he said, “When you can be comfortable while still in an uncomfortable position, you know you are in good shape.”

The highest success is not in simply finding comfort, but rather in finding it in the most uncomfortable of positions. Because to get to that level, you have to stretch every one of your muscles to its limit. Being in good shape is only possible when we are working on ourselves strenuously, pushing ourselves through uncomfortable realities to get to where we want to go.

Stretched to the Max

In a biography of Rav Eliezer Menachem Man Shach, of blessed memory, (1899-2001, Lithuania – Israel), one of the greatest Torah giants of the 20th century, there is a description of the great deprivation Rav Shach endured in order to stay in the famed Slabodka yeshiva as a young teenager. Owning only one set of clothing, barely eating anything, and unable to afford lodging other than the benches in the back of the yeshiva, Rav Shach thrived. He looked back at those years with great fondness, at the full immersion he had in his Talmudic study and spiritual pursuit, both of which were entirely unhampered by any material concerns or distractions. He may have been stretched to the max, he may have been in a very uncomfortable position, but he found his comfort zone and flourished.

Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, (1707-1746, Italy- Acco) in his seminal mussar masterpiece The Path of the Just (Mesilas Yesharim), states that the desire and tendency to find comfort zones in our lives where we can just sit back and relax is one of the greatest obstacles to personal growth. It is the biggest detractor from alacrity, which is the enthusiasm and drive we need to tap into our potential. He recommends that a person live by the maxim, “For man was created for toil” (Job 5:7) and says that when we look at life through that prism, we can embrace the work we need to do to get to where we have to go. When we are used to stretching and pulling, every further inch is not agony, but anticipated growth.

When we are used to stretching and pulling, every further inch is not agony, but anticipated growth.

It is interesting to note the strange blessing Jacob our forefather gave to his son Yissachar just before he died. Despite blessing all his children, it is the only blessing in which the word “good” is found: “Yissachar is a strong boned donkey, it rests between the boundaries. He saw tranquility that it was good and the land that it was pleasant, yet he bent his shoulder to bear and he became an indentured laborer” (Genesis 49:14,15). The only one of Jacob’s children that is blessed with tranquility and goodness is the one who understands that in order to get that goodness he needs to bend his shoulder to bear the load; he needs to stretch himself till he’s uncomfortable.

If any of us were to look back at what we consider to be the best time in our lives, I doubt it would be a time we just lounged around playing video games or reading a good novel. Chances are it would be a time we were stretching ourselves to the max. It would be the times we found a way to be comfortable despite being in an uncomfortable position.

So everyone, let’s assume the cat position. It may not be comfortable, but it sure is electrifying!

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About the Author

Leiby Burnham, CSW, is a rabbi, psychotherapist, and writer. He lives in Detroit with his wife, an ICU nurse, who is on strict orders to "leave her patients at work" and their three daughters, Orah, Shifra and Rachel. Rabbi Burnham works for the Jean and Theodore Weiss Partners in Torah program of Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, where he does community outreach, and runs a Jewish educational programs at University of Michigan, Wayne State, and Oakland University. He taught learning-disabled high school students for eight years in NYC, while receiving Rabbinical training at Shor Yoshuv Institute, and obtaining his Masters in Social Work from Yeshiva University.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 6

(6)
amy eden,
May 12, 2010 2:35 PM

who invented the cat position

it looks like something barney frank or ed koch invented

(5)
eric,
May 6, 2010 1:25 AM

not sure

although i would prefer to agree, forsome reason what comes to mind r my college days of just chilling and bar hoping.My life today is much more spiritual and fulfilling however those r the days I look back to and miss.Please guide me in your direction.

(4)
ruth,
May 3, 2010 4:59 PM

"it's a stretch"

I often put a giraffe sticker or stamp on my letters, and I am always thinking that life is a stretch. I guess the idea of stretching to look like an electrocuted cat really got to me, because I just attended a seminar in which it was discussed that Thomas Merton, famous for his letters and retreat into the self towards God, well he was electrocuted and this is how he died. So it's still raw for me. To think about this. Why idid he die this way. It was, shocking.
I don't understand a lot about life and I think many of us don't, and the Book of Job, quoted, is a book that truly tries to ask a question and never quite succeeds, about God, and our lives. it's a cruel story and has been analyzed in many ways with myriad interpretations. MacLeish wrote a play called JB which is brilliant and also, troubling.
Yes, we need to stretch our muscles, and our minds. I think what's painful is often deeply connected to that phoenix that always rises, but all the same, how much of a stretch, and when do we ask God, What is this story all about?

(3)
Anonymous,
May 3, 2010 9:15 AM

This is so true!

I definitely agree!

(2)
Anonymous,
May 2, 2010 2:33 PM

Categories

Thank you for this wonderful article. It seems to be a variation on the theme of the oyster and the pearl. There is another term that is used philosophically and it is called "horizon". One constantly transcends one's horizons. That is true growth. To do so one must find meaning. When one is younger mountains, and waves and hills wait to be conquered. As one ages it seems that meaning can really be found in making one's bed "just so". "Just so" means with the attitude of knowing that Hashem is with you and the so called menial task of making the bed is not really menial. Then as one gets to be a bit older one gets into a stage of a child where one does not look upon things to do. One just does. One is like a child again. There is no self-reflection (thankfully) and there really is very little analytical thinking. There is only a state of being and simple doing. There is no skipping of these stages and if they are missed then there will be disorder in life. The secret, as outlined in the above article, is to live life to the fullest at whatever stage one is at. Everything else will be looked after. Do not worry. All will be well but please do not waste your life on television and those games. That you might regret. Beautiful article. Thank you.

(1)
Alan S.,
May 2, 2010 9:37 AM

I'm not cynical to the concepts given here, as I do believe that hard work and pushing oneself definitely leads to growth and "good things", but, everyone's comfort levels and hence their views on what might be the best of times could be radically differeent. The concept about what we can consider to be the "best of time in our lives" is not a "one size fits all" concept. The "best times" may not, in fact, ever be when we find ourselves in an uncomfortable situation even if we triumph. These times will certainly be memorable, but not necessarily what I think may be recalled as the "the best of times" in our lives. Like the Japanese move "After Life" relates, perhaps the "best time" of our lives will be nothing more than the feeling one gets "piloting thru clouds" or the feeling of the "warm air blowing on our face while on a subway car". For others, it may be feeling comfortable while being in that uncomfortable position. For me personally, I honestly would rather not recall those times of my life when I was on the hot seat, so to speak, even if I came out relatively unscathed. These memories will always be in the back of my mind, but I don't consider them to be among the best times of my life.

I’m wondering what happened to the House of David. After the end of the Kingdom of Judah was there any memory what happened to King David’s descendants? Is there any family today which can trace its lineage to David – and whom the Messiah might descend from?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Thank you for your good question. There is no question that King David’s descendants are alive today. God promised David through Nathan the Prophet that the monarchy would never depart from his family (II Samuel 7:16). The prophets likewise foretell the ultimate coming of the Messiah, descendant of David, the “branch which will extend from the trunk of Jesse,” who will restore the Davidic dynasty and Israel’s sovereignty (Isaiah 11:1, see also Jeremiah 33:15, Ezekiel 37:25).

King David’s initial dynasty came to an end with the destruction of the First Temple and the Babylonian Exile. In an earlier expulsion King Jehoiachin was exiled by Nebuchadnezzar, together with his family and several thousand of the Torah scholars and higher classes (II Kings 24:14-16). Eleven years later the Temple was destroyed. The final king of Judah, Jehoiachin’s uncle Zedekiah, was too exiled to Babylonia. He was blinded and his children were executed (II Kings 25:7).

However, Jehoiachin and his descendants did survive in exile. Babylonian cuneiform records actually attest to Jehoiachin and his family receiving food rations from the government. I Chronicles 3:17:24 likewise lists several generations of his descendants (either 9 or 15 generations, depending on the precise interpretation of the verses), which would have extended well into the Second Temple era. (One was the notable Zerubbabel, grandson of Jehoiachin, who was one of the leaders of the return to Zion and the construction the Second Temple.)

In Babylonia, the leader of the Jewish community was known as the Reish Galuta (Aramaic for “head of the exile,” called the Exilarch in English). This was a hereditary position recognized by the Babylonian government. Its bearer was generally quite wealthy and powerful, well-connected to the government and wielding much authority over Babylonian Jewry.

According to Jewish tradition, the Exilarch was a direct descendant of Jehoiachin. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 5a) understands Genesis 49:10 – Jacob’s blessing to Judah that “the staff would not be removed from Judah” – as a reference to the Exilarchs in Babylonia, “who would chastise Israel with the staff,” i.e., who exercised temporal authority over the Jewish community. It stands to reason that these descendants of Judah were descendants of David’s house, who would have naturally been the leaders of the Babylonian community, in fulfillment of God’s promise to David that authority would always rest in his descendants.

There is also a chronological work, Seder Olam Zutta (an anonymous text from the early Middle Ages), which lists 39 generations of Exilarchs beginning with Jehoiachin. One of the commentators to Chronicles, the Vilna Gaon, states that the first one was Elionai of I Chronicles 3:23.

The position of Exilarch lasted for many centuries. The Reish Galuta is mentioned quite often in the Talmud. As can be expected, some were quite learned themselves, some deferred to the rabbis for religious matters, while some, especially in the later years, fought them and their authority tooth and nail.

Exilarchs existed well into the Middle Ages, throughout the period of the early medieval scholars known as the Gaonim. The last ones known to history was Hezekiah, who was killed in 1040 by the Babylonian authorities, although he was believed to have had sons who escaped to Iberia. There are likewise later historical references to descendants of the Exilarchs, especially in northern Spain (Catelonia) and southern France (Provence).

Beyond that, there is no concrete evidence as to the whereabouts of King David’s descendants. Supposedly, the great French medieval sage Rashi (R. Shlomo Yitzchaki) traced his lineage to King David, although on a maternal line. (In addition, Rashi himself had only daughters.) The same is said of Rabbi Yehuda Loewe of Prague (the Maharal). Since Ashkenazi Jews are so interrelated, this is a tradition, however dubious today, shared by many Ashkenazi Jews.

In any event, we do not need be concerned today how the Messiah son of David will be identified. He will be a prophet, second only to Moses. God Himself will select him and appoint him to his task. And he himself, with his Divine inspiration, will resolve all other matters of Jewish lineage (Maimonides Hilchot Melachim 12:3).

Yahrtzeit of Kalonymus Z. Wissotzky, a famous Russian Jewish philanthropist who died in 1904. Wissotzky once owned the tea concession for the Czar's entire military operation. Since the Czar's soldiers numbered in the millions and tea drinking was a daily Russian custom, this concession made Wissotzky very rich. One day, Wissotzky was approached by the World Zionist Organization to begin a tea business in Israel. He laughed at this preposterous idea: the market was small, the Turkish bureaucracy was strict, and tea leaves from India were too costly to import. Jewish leaders persisted, and Wissotzky started a small tea company in Israel. After his death, the tea company passed to his heirs. Then in 1917, the communists swept to power in Russia, seizing all of the Wissotzky company's assets. The only business left in their possession was the small tea company in Israel. The family fled Russia, built the Israeli business, and today Wissotzky is a leading brand of tea in Israel, with exports to countries worldwide -- including Russia.

Building by youth may be destructive, while when elders dismantle, it is constructive (Nedarim 40a).

It seems paradoxical, but it is true. We make the most important decisions of our lives when we are young and inexperienced, and our maximum wisdom comes at an age when our lives are essentially behind us, and no decisions of great moment remain to be made.

While the solution to this mystery eludes us, the facts are evident, and we would be wise to adapt to them. When we are young and inexperienced, we can ask our elders for their opinion and then benefit from their wisdom. When their advice does not coincide with what we think is best, we would do ourselves a great service if we deferred to their counsel.

It may not be popular to champion this concept. Although we have emerged from the era of the `60s, when accepting the opinion of anyone over thirty was anathema, the attitude of dismissing older people as antiquated and obsolete has-beens who lack the omniscience of computerized intelligence still lingers on.

Those who refuse to learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them. We would do well to swallow our youthful pride and benefit from the teachings of the school of experience.

Today I shall...

seek advice from my elders and give more serious consideration to deferring to their advice when it conflicts with my desires.

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